Song explorer

It’s a sunny day in Amsterdam when Josh Ritter checks in with C-VILLE, taking a phone call while sitting along one of the city’s many canals. When reached in early April, the Americana tunesmith was on a solo tour in Europe, the country where he first found success, playing with the likes of Joan Baez […]

Fridays After Five

Outdoor music is officially here, with the 35th season of Fridays After Five. The summer lineup pairs area acts, including Kendall Street Company, Beleza, and The Chickenheads, with local nonprofits, which work the concession stands in support of their organizations. This Friday, catch Ramona and the Holy Smokes (above) on the stage for an evening […]

The Wallflowers

After nearly a decade of silence, The Wallflowers make some noise with Exit Wounds, the band’s 10-song studio offering. The Jakob Dylan-led rock outfit meshes timeless songwriting and storytelling with a hard-hitting and decidedly modern musical attack. Exit Wounds opens with “Maybe Your Heart’s Not in It No More,” a gentle, Americana-inspired song with Shelby […]

On a high note

John D’earth knows Charlottesville music. Since settling in town in 1981, he’s come to define the local jazz scene—and beyond—with his considerable crossover into pop genres, and reach as a music teacher. So when D’earth decides to bring a French jazz pianist stateside for a local residency, culminating with a show alongside himself and the […]

Natalie Merchant

Natalie Merchant’s ninth studio album, Keep Your Courage, is a lush and beguiling examination of love in all its guises. In her first record of new material in nine years, Merchant mentions love 26 times across songs including the delicate “The Feast of Saint Valentine,” the horn-filled “Tower of Babel,” and “Eye of the Storm,” […]

Swing Into Spring

The Albemarle High School Jazz Ensemble returns for its sixth annual Swing Into Spring benefit concert. The award-winning ensemble led by director Andrew LaPrade plays in support of Loaves & Fishes, a food pantry that provides assistance to area families and individuals. The evening features appearances from local and regional jazz musicians including John D’earth, […]

Our Planet

Immerse yourself in the wonders of Earth’s wildlife at Our Planet, a live concert event featuring favorite scenes and highlights from Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning documentary series of the same name. The production combines breathtaking HD cinematography with orchestrations from Oscar-winning composer Steven Price. With narration from legendary broadcaster David Attenborough, and a live soundtrack from […]

Evening of Music and Poetry

Move and groove at Ellington’s Evening of Music and Poetry, a celebration of the arts through spoken word poetry, R&B, and soul music. Grammy-nominated vocalist and producer Stokley headlines a stacked line-up of performers, including singer-songwriter and poet Saul Williams and turntablist DJ Spark, with openers Jade Novah and Nathaniel Star. Known for his past […]

Eliza Mary Doyle

Alternative country artist Eliza Mary Doyle’s latest studio album, Pretty Strange, is a 10-song summation of her illustrious 20-year career. Recorded live at Sidekick Studios in Nashville, the album opens with driving banjo, catchy melodies, and pedal steel licks. The single “Them Boys” is a high-energy, banjo-heavy tune written after Doyle’s car broke down while […]

Underground Springhouse

“More of the good, less of the bad” is the motto upon which Underground Springhouse built its sound and style. For USH, the good is a little bit of everything—reggae, country, and funk within a rock ‘n’ roll context. The most recent addition to the outfit’s genre-bending catalog, “Tallulah,” a tender, emotional ballad rooted in […]